Brindavan / Pulse & Bloom

Convergence

Convergence is an interactive installation in Downtown Durham’s CCB Plaza, inviting people to work with each other and the environment to collaboratively create cityscapes made of light.Developed by Floating Point Collective, a field of LED rods forms a volumetric display. Each rod is equipped with a touch sensor. When touched by an attendee, colored light grows from their fingers, creating a light structure that rises into the sky and spreads outward through the other rods. When people are not interacting with the sculpture directly, another layer of interaction is revealed. The light city is affected by real time light data, shifting colored particles and allowing colors to mix in organic ways.In developing this concept, Floating Point Collective was inspired by research practices and discoveries that have come out of Research Triangle Park. The designers were also inspired by the vision expressed in RTP’s redevelopment plans: a sustainable urban community that evolves in harmony with nature.

I worked with Floating Point Collective, assisting with installation, implementation, and user testing.

iBreathe

Oftentimes when we sit at our computers – hunched over, distracted, or stressed out – we forget to breathe.

Shallow, restricted breathing and poor posture can lead to short term feelings of anxiety, and long term health problems! This is where iBreathe comes in.

Using Processing code, iBreathe helps you calibrate a moderate to deep breath through the dimness function in your (mac only, for now) computer. When your breathing falls out of the calibrated range – i.e. stops or becomes shallow – your computer screen will dim, obscuring your work. Once you are back in range, your computer will brighten again, and you can keep at it – hopefully feeling a bit more serene.

iBreathe runs off of a stretch sensor, an Arduino, and Processing. You can find more info here, and instructions on how to make your own iBreathe here.

SASSEY

SASSEY is start-up I co-founded with fashion designer Steffy Yaryar and creative developer Julia Litman-Cleper. I'm leading our team as Project Manager and Interaction Designer.

Together, we're exploring the future of fashion and wearable accessories. We incorporate technology and social media into clothing, creating new channels for people to express themselves. Check out our website: www.sassey.co

Carousel 360

A 360 degree comic made for iPhone OS, programmed in Unity.

With the Carousel 360 iPhone App, readers can explore the panoramic pages of our custom-created comic, transforming their phone into a periscope looking out on a different world. Moving the phone along a 360 degree plane reveals the finely illustrated details of our 14 page murder mystery.

Made in collaboration with Rhodes Edward-Thorley and Matthew Swenson.

The Wedge

“Take a side, take a stand, make your voice heard“

Created for and inspire by Clay Shirky’s Designing Conversational Spaces class at ITP, The Wedge is a digital debate forum centered on current events and issues in technology and art.

We noticed the powerful opinions on our student listserve didn’t have the appropriate space to develop. Heeding the call, we decided to create that space.

Using The Wedge as a platform, students with opposing opinions open the floor via short editorials articulating their side of the spectrum. We also worked to develop a commenting system that facilitated dialogue, encouraged interaction, and reduced commenting hierarchy.

Topics included:

Privacy in the Digital Age

Digital data is everywhere – and so, by definition, are its traces. The Internet Age has created vast and ubiquitous databases of personal information and, as a result, has pushed the topic of privacy into the mainstream. How do we as technologists handle the issue of personal privacy while pushing for technological advancement? In 2012, what is does privacy look like? Is transparency the new way forward?

AR/Google Glass

Here at ITP, also known as the center for the recently possible, we have the responsibility to explore where technology and product development are taking us. Recently, ARGoggles have been a hot topic in the news - called, for example, “the most futuristic device to date.” But what does this really mean? What will the impact googles be on how we as humans use technology? How will it effect topics like privacy, usability, and human interaction?

3D Printing

As innovation around 3D printing technology continues to progress, and the cost continues to decrease, 3D printing is getting closer and closer to becoming a consumer accessible technology. In the hands of consumer, 3D Printing could be a whole new avenue of creativity, and/or piracy. As part of the technology and arts community, how does 3D Printing impact how we as humans perceive physical objects? What will this mean to product development? How will this impact manufacturing and artisanship?

The Wedge was created in collaboration with Mark Brenneman, Bruna Calherios, and Patrick Muth.

HB Divemaster

Happy Birthday, Divemaster! is an Audio/Video sequencer built using Arduino and MAX/MSP.

Built from lunchbox found on the ITP junk shelf, HB Divemaster started as an audio sequencer. Each of the knobs I installed on the device controlled sound output via an Arduino in the box connected to a MAX/MSP patch running on my laptop.

HB Divemaster went through a few iterations, evolving into a physical interface for live video and audio manipulation via an updated MAX/MSP patch.

Ultimately HBD was reprogrammed to be a standalone, analog-circuit vocoder.

Assistive Touch Table

Our team worked together to design, construct, and program an instructive, social touch table for children with autism at PS10X Elementary School in the Bronx.

This project had very stimulating design constraints. Our clients ranged from 7 years old to 13, with a broad spectrum of cognitive and physical challenges. Following the curriculum offered in class, we chose to use simple symbols to create something social and practical. Many of the students were already learning how to both cohabit with each other and live independently.

Using Open CV, we created an infrared, multi-touch table. The kids could take turns or work together to dress a character based on the seasons. Ultimately, the process was incredibly rewarding and the children were totally amazing :)

Magic Apocalypse: Funtimes

Magical Apocalypse: Funtimes was a public access television show on MNN I produced for Live! Experimental! Interactive! TV, a course taught by Shawn Van Every and NYU's ITP Master's program.

I organized and led a team of eight fellow students in choosing a structure for our show, content creation, asset gathering, and web design and development.

Together we created a television show where viewers could vote on content they wanted to watch based on .gif previews. Voting was tallied on our website during the live show, in real time, via user clicks. Viewers could also communicate with each other via an on-site chatroom. I was responsible for the front-end and back-end creation of our site. We also gained behind the scenes experience with the control room, and learned what it takes to put together a live, experimental, interactive show.

UX Resume

"Saraswathi is a user-interface designer and multimedia producer. She's worked for Fortune 500 companies like Estee Lauder, Intel, and Microsoft to design websites, apps, products and digital marketing tools. She has her masters from ITP (NYU's graduate program in communication technology) and her undergraduate degrees from UC Davis in Technocultural Studies and English. She's very creative and very talented. She would be a great asset to any visual or interactive design team."